Luke 21:20-28

Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a

Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5

Luke 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples:

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,

know that its desolation is at hand.

Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Let those within the city escape from it,

and let those in the countryside not enter the city,

for these days are the time of punishment

when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.

Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,

for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth

and a wrathful judgment upon this people.

They will fall by the edge of the sword

and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;

and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles

until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,

and on earth nations will be in dismay,

perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

People will die of fright

in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,

for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man

coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But when these signs begin to happen,

stand erect and raise your heads

because your redemption is at hand.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you and praise you. You have delivered me from the slavery of sin and the threat of everlasting death. In return, I humbly offer you today the thanksgiving sacrifice of my self-offering.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Fall of Jerusalem: When Jesus gave his discourse on the end times, he predicted the future fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. These events, which happened in A.D. 70, foreshadow the events that will happen before the end of time. Jesus told his followers that when armies approached and surrounded Jerusalem, they were to flee to the mountains. In fact, when the Romans marched on Jerusalem, the Christians in Jerusalem had already heeded Jesus’ warning and fled to Pella, a city in the Decapolis across the Jordan River. The destruction of the Temple points to the cosmic upheaval that will accompany the end times.  Whether they live in the time leading up to Jerusalem’s destruction, or in the centuries that follow, or in the time of the great tribulation before the end of the world, Jesus’ disciples are not to cower in fear but rather to “stand erect” and raise their heads for their redemption and release from sin and death is at hand. 

2. The Fall of Babylon: The Book of Revelation uses symbols and images to communicate its prophecy. In the First Reading, Babylon is the symbolic name given to Jerusalem: “Babylon destroyed the earthly temple; Jerusalem destroyed the true temple – Christ (cf. John 2). Jerusalem will now fall as Babylon did” (Barber, Coming Soon, 219). In his vision of Revelation 18-19, John shows how Christ fulfills God’s Old Testament promises through the Church. “In the Church, the spotless bride, God’s plan from the dawn of time is accomplished and Christ’s victory is realized. His victory over the devil is finally complete. And all of this converges in the even called the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Barber, Coming Soon, 225). In response to the fall of “Babylon” – i.e., the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the fall of evil political powers at the end of the world – the saints in heaven rejoice and explode into the praise of the “Hallel” psalms (Psalms 111-118). These psalms were a response to the triumph of the Messiah in Psalm 110. Jerusalem’s persecution of the Church has prepared her as a bride for Christ, the Lam of God. The Church is wedded to Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb, which is the Eucharist, where she enters into communion with the flesh of her husband and Lord.

3. Thanksgiving: In the United States today, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. George Washington issued his original Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789, designating Thursday, November 26, as a national day of public thanksgiving and prayer. The American Revolutionary War had just ended, and the president wanted the new nation to render sincere and humble thanks to God for his mercies and the conclusion of the war. Abraham Lincoln gave his first Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863, inviting Americans, amid the Civil War, to give thanks and praise to God and to ask God for an end to the war and for the nation to be restored to peace, harmony, and union. Presidents have continued the tradition of Thanksgiving proclamations, inviting the nation to pause and, with humble and contrite hearts, give thanks to God for all his blessings. When we gather with family and friends for a meal, we can pause for a moment to reflect on what is good in it – communion, joy, love – as an image of the heavenly feast, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, that we long for.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I will stand tall and raise my head today to look for your glorious coming on the horizon. You are the Son of Man and are coming in glory to judge the living and the dead. Knowing that I will be judged by you one day, I ask for mercy for the sins I have committed, and I thank you for any good works I have done.

Living the Word of God: Can I take a moment today to pray and intercede for my family and friends by name? Are there any relationships I need to work on to repair?